All at once, every ounce of adrenaline left my body and I could feel my legs start to give way.

‘Whoa, hey … take it easy now.’ The man stepped over the threshold and caught me under my arms, easily supporting my weight. ‘Take some deep breaths,’ he said, as my knees buckled. I did as I was told. ‘Look, do you want to come in for a minute?’ he offered, his tone gentle. ‘I can get you a glass of water.’

I really, really didn’t want to go inside, but at the same time I didn’t feel that I had the strength to stand up properly and walk away either, so I nodded mutely and allowed him to escort me into the flat. He deposited me on a bar stool and opened one of the cupboards to take out a glass. I looked around me in a stunned silence, my brain still unable to take in what I was seeing. All Peter’s furniture and belongings had gone, to be replaced by a whole new interior.

I took the glass of water the man offered with a shaking hand and sipped it gratefully. ‘How long?’ I whispered between gulps. ‘How long ago did you move in?’

The man leaned back against the worktop and eyed me with concern. ‘At the weekend. I think, um, the other guy, moved out the week before.’

I nodded. So when I was last here, Peter already knew that he would be moving out. That he would never be seeing me again. The intensity that I had mistakenly thought was love, was actually him saying goodbye. How could he have been so treacherous? The betrayal felt like being stabbed in the stomach repeatedly. I swallowed the last of the water and took a deep breath. ‘Thank you. I’m sorry if I gave you a shock but …’

The guy shook his head and waved his hand dismissively. ‘Not at all. It sounds like you’re the one who’s had a shock. Don’t worry about it, honestly.’

I could feel my eyes filling with tears, so I slid off the bar stool and picked up my handbag. ‘Thank you for being so kind. I’ll go now.’

The guy nodded. ‘Are you sure you’re going to be OK? You still look a bit pale …’

‘I’m fine.’ I walked to the door, now just desperate to get out and away from this place.

The man followed and opened the door for me. ‘OK, well … goodbye. And, sorry.’

‘Goodbye. Thanks again.’ I walked out with my back straight, trying to muster as much dignity as I could.

As the door closed behind me, a huge sob escaped as if it had been trapped inside me for ever and a torrent of tears began to fall. I stepped into the lift and crouched into a ball in the corner, rocking back and forward to try to ease the pain. I couldn’t believe that this man who I had loved so much, who I had imagined building a future with, whose baby I was carrying, had excised me from his life with such clinical precision that he may as well have killed me using a scalpel.